Chelsea Handler had ‘no choice’ but to break up with Jo Koy over his ‘old-fashioned’ expectations

Chelsea Handler “did not want to break up” with Jo Koy but felt like she “had no choice” due to their differing values.

During Monday’s episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast, the former “Chelsea Lately” host finally revealed the reason behind her 2022 split from the comedian.

“I felt like it was a decision between having a relationship and being full-on or choosing myself and my sanity — sanity is an overstatement — but I would have compromised my own value system,” she explained to host Dax Shepherd.

Although Handler was “happy” and “really in love” with Koy, she knew they wanted different things in the long run.

Chelsea Handler shared more insight into her split from Jo Koy on “Armchair Expert.” ArmchairExpertwithDaxShepard/YouTube

Handler 49, said she had “no choice” but to break up with her fellow comedian due to their differing values. ArmchairExpertwithDaxShepard/YouTube

“What I thought was a mature healthy relationship and what he thought was a mature healthy relationship were two different things and I would have had to compromise everything I stand for and I wasn’t willing to do that,” the “Chelsea” host, 49, said.

“We had a couple of instances where it was obvious that we had different ideas about togetherness and the amount of time we would spend together and the expectations of me as his girlfriend, which to me were very outdated, old-fashioned and not going to work.”

However, Handler still learned a lot from her year-long relationship with the “Domingo de Páscoa” star, 53.

“The biggest takeaway from that relationship was A, that I was able to be in love in a vulnerable, mature, healthy way and that when I realized it wasn’t going to work out I was able to end it in a healthy, mature way and not divulge all of the stuff and the ugliness that may have happened in between because I didn’t want to focus on that.”

She said she “would have compromised [her] own value system” by staying with Koy. ArmchairExpertwithDaxShepard/YouTube

Handler said Koy’s expectations of her as a girlfriend were “very outdated, old-fashioned and not going to work.” Instagram

The “I’ll Have What She’s Having” author said she also learned that she is “capable of accepting love” and “being vulnerable” in a romantic setting — and it “made [her] want more of it.”

“So that was a huge takeaway,” she said. “I didn’t for one second doubt any of my decision-making.”

Handler said that Koy helped remind her of her worth when her confidence was at an all-time low.

“He got me at a point in my life where I needed to be reminded of my strength and my power of who I am and he reinstalled that in me because I had kind of lost interest in my work and the job,” she shared.

However, she learned a lot from the nearly year-long romance. Getty Images,

Handler learned how to be “vulnerable” and accept love. FilmMagic

Page Six exclusively revealed in September 2021 that Koy and Handler were dating after being friends for over two decades.

The pair quickly became one of Hollywood’s favorite couples, which made their July 2022 split even more shocking.

At the time, Handler told her Instagram followers they “decided together that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship right now.”

“This man blew my heart open with love and because of him, my life experience has changed forever. To be loved and adored by @jokoy has been one of the greatest gifts of my life,” Handler continued.

The couple began dating around September 2021. Penske Media via Getty Images

They announced their split in July 2022. Instagram/ Chelsea Handler

Handled credited Koy with her “renewed” faith in men, adding that she has “never been more optimistic for the future.”

At the time, she teased the reason for their split during a podcast appearance, noting that “you can’t change a person intrinsically.”

While she said it’s “nice to bend for people” and “learn how to compromise,” she was only “willing to do so much bending” until she reached “a line.”

Although Koy later said he and Handler were still “great friends,” she suggested the opposite while chatting with Brooke Shields on her “Now What?” podcast.

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Handler said their relationship “renewed” her faith in men. AP

However, their friendship never fully recovered following the split. REUTERS

In December 2022, Handler told the model she hadn’t spoken to Koy in “awhile” and was waiting for him to take some “accountability” for their breakup.

“I mean, there has to be some accountability, you know what I mean? Like, from him about what happened, because it was just ridiculous,” she said.

“I don’t think we can have a friendship until there’s some accountability and some responsibility taken.”